Strong audio performance. Attractive Design. Can run on batteries for portability. Full iPod navigation on remote control.

Cons

Not all that travel-friendly given its large size. Requires eight C-size batteries to operate without AC power.

Bottom Line

It may be technically portable, but the oddly named Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro isn't smalland neither is its excellent audio output.

Speaker manufacturer Harman Kardon has a "Micro" line that consists of smaller versions of its existing speaker systems. It's easy to see how products get misnamedthe Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro, a $299 (direct) iPod speaker dock, is indeed smaller than the Go + Play, but calling it "micro" when it's significantly larger than many docks on the market doesn't quite make sense. The Go + Play Micro is portable in that it has a handle and can run without AC power, but its odd shape and sizealong with the need for eight C-size batteriesmake it an unlikely travel companion. It's fine for carrying around the house, or say, to the backyard, though, and most importantly, it sounds fantastic.

Design
Like many Harman Kardon products, the Go + Play Micro's sleek design is almost as alluring as the system's audio performance. Those familiar with the original version of the Go + Play will immediately recognize the Micro version, which is topped with the trademark arched stainless steel handle. The two docks look nearly identical, but the Micro's frame, which measures 9 by 20 by 9.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 8.6 pounds (and that's before you load it with eight gigantic batteries), is indeed smaller.

The body is constructed from matte black plastic, accented by the stainless steel handle and two matching metallic speaker grilles on the front panel. The docking area is located on the slanted top panel and includes an adjustable back to ensure that your particular iPod or iPhone (it's certified for both) model fits perfectly. Playback controls are absent from the face of the unit, which makes sense, as you can just operate the player itself while dockedor use the remote. Power and Volume buttons are the only controls on the system, and are located up top, to left of the docking area.

On the back panel, below the massive battery storage compartment, snap-close rubber covers protect four different jacks: the 24-volt adapter connection, a USB connector (to sync your docked iPod with your computer), a composite video output (to watch video from your iPod on a TV), and a 3.5-mm aux input to connect to alternate audio sources. You get a power adapter with the dock, but batteries nor audio or video cables are included.

For $300, you should expect the works when it comes to features, so it's nice to see Harman Kardon include solid connectivity options and an excellent remote control. The remote is compact without being too small to comfortably operate. Also, it uses thoughtfully placed rubberized buttons instead of membrane buttons that tend to be less sensitive. The best feature, however, is that the remote offers full iPod navigation. You'd think that being able to navigate your iPod's menus remotely would be an automatic feature in iPod docks, but it's not a given, and sometimes involves assigning multiple tasks to some buttons. The Go + Play Micro's remote allows you to skip forward or backward through tracks, scroll up or down through menus, play and pause, and adjust the volumeand each command has a dedicated button.

Performance
Harman Kardon made an interesting choice with this product: It's a 2.1-channel system, but the downward-firing speaker is not a subwoofer. Because its frequency response bottoms out at around 70Hz, it's pretty much just a standard woofer, and the two front-facing drivers cover the mids and highs. That said, the Go + Play Micro is not lacking in deep bass response, nor does it have any trouble handling high-volume playback. In my tests, playing the bass-heavy intro to "Silent Shout" by The Knife at maximum volume didn't cause the speakers to distort. It's not so much a measure of sound quality, as it is a test of the drivers' ability to handle truly challenging content without distortingand the Go + Play Micro delivers on its $300 price tag. The overall audio performance of the system is quite impressivethe speakers are equally at home playing modern classical pieces like "The Chairman Dances" by John Adams, and reproducing the edgy synth-and-bass attack of tracks like Radiohead's "Myxomatosis". Perhaps because there is no subwoofer covering the deepest frequencies, vocals and percussion truly shine on the Go + Play Microthey're never overwhelmed by, say, thunderous bass or kick drums.

In the $300 range, you have some very solid and varied iPod and iPhone speaker dock choices. Creative's sleek ZiiSound D5 ($299.99, ) isn't portable, but it streams music wirelessly via Bluetooth and still manages to sound great. My favorite dock in this price range is our Editors' Choice, the Altec Lansing Mix iMT800 ($299.99, ). It's a little large, but offers top-notch sound quality, plus an FM tuner and user-adjustable EQ. The Go + Play Micro lacks extra features, but it comes with a great remote and is an ideal system for both parties and background listening. What I don't like is the product's namethere's nothing "micro" about this system, and eight C-size batteries don't help sell its portability. As long as you realize it's not as easy to tote as Harman Kardon would have you believe, the Go + Play Micro is an otherwise impressive iPod speaker system.

Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro

Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro

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